Regular readers will know this wine scoffer has a thing for natural wine - skinsy, funky, natural, orange... it is all about wines with little intervention where the fruit is champion, and there is less mucking around with it. The demands of complying with biodynamic and organic are high, and I imagine taxing. I am not saying this is the only way to have wine, but like everything else, it is a choice.
You can imagine my joy when some wine appeared from the Natural Wine Co. This is the brainchild of Rebecca and Jason O'Dea who gave us Pig in the House and Windowrie labels. They have long been champions of the central ranges region of NSW around Canowindra, and are now producing wines from certified organic growing practices.
The two wines got a run on the same day, starting with the white. Both have a slight frizzante about them - mildly sparkling, and are vegan suitable, preservative free with a lower alcohol content at 8% rather than the usual 12-13%. While neither takes away from the enjoyment of the wine, both could have done with a little more depth. Maybe its my love of wines with oomph and the delicate nuances of these were not to my taste on the day.
The white has some light citrus notes, with the addition of green apples and ripe pears. Made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes from the Cowra region, don't look for the overtly tropical notes we are used to. There is definitely a hint of passionfruit but its well balanced with other fruit influences. It has both a complex palate but is well balanced and relatively easy to drink. The lower alcohol content might make this suitable for a brunch or a picnic event over it being a food wine. Its zingy and fresh with a solid line of acid through it and a pleasant finish.
Of the two, the white was the preferred drink but neither of them blew us out of the water. There is very much a place for wines with this lower alcohol presence but not at the risk of flavour. We would certainly but these again for a Sunday picnic event or a lunch time bbq where we like to keep tidy but if you are after a solid food wine, these are not the go to.
Try them - this scribe might be so used to bigger wines that these lighter, slightly sparkly wines are challenging an old palate. With younger markets looking for wines to start with, I reckon these would be an ideal transition from the RTD market into the world of wine.
RRP $20
NSW |2021 |Central Ranges | 8%